March 10, 3009
The top 5 competitors in each age bracket sit on stage in front of thousands of people in the audience. Eustass Barrington takes the microphone to excite the crowd.
Eustass Barrington: Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone else out there! Welcome back to the biannual climber's tournament! As you know now, I'm your host: Eustass Barrington!
The audience claps for a few seconds.
Eustass Barrington: Now then, before we get started. (Eustass grabs out his reading glasses and notecards). I will read off the names of the finalists of each bracket.
(Slight pause)
To start off our day, the teens bracket finalists are as follows: Jelani Isra and his twin brother Roco Isra.
(The audience cheers for both the Isra brothers, but mostly Jelani).
Silva Belmonte, Caroline Field, and… (squints his eyes) Hugh the Wise?
The audience is silent but about half of them laugh at the ridiculous name.
Eustass Barrington: (Rolls his eyes). Who the hell approved of this?
Jelani: Hughbert the Wise… Where have I heard that title before?
Eustass Barrington: (Turns to Jelani). Excuse me kid, let me finish.
Jelani: Sorry but if you wanna know his real name it's Hughbert Lando. Another legacy name…
Eustass Barrington: Ah, he's Hoagie's kid.
Jelani: Yeah.
Eustass Barrington: Thanks. (Clears his throat and turns to the audience). Apologies folks, that was quite the absurd mistake by members of our staff. This young man's real name is Hughbert Lando-
Hugh: (Squeaky voice) CAN'T YOU JUST USE MY TITLE INSTEAD OF MY DORKY GIVEN NAME?!
Eustass Barrington: You can't be serious… Hugh the Wise sounds just as dorky. Trust me kid, I am doing you a favor. You'll look back on your self inserted nicknames and realize why the kids next door would always laugh at you.
Hugh: That sounds like you're very insecure about your past. Don't project that on me.
Eustass Barrington: Oh shut up Hughbert the Know-it-All!
Hugh: That's not my title!
Eustass Barrington: You're only a teenager, you're still figuring out who the hell you are, kid.
Audience Member #1: (Angrily) Why are you antagonizing him?
Audience Member #2: Yeah, finish the announcements so we can get to the action!
Eustass Barrington: (Whispers to Hugh) Let me finish this painfully awkward performance for both of our sakes.
Hugh is quiet for a second.
Eustass Barrington: Wait a minute, (squints). I know your father quite well. He told me that you were still twelve. How were you able to register and compete?
Hugh: (Shrugs) Fake I.D.
Eustass Barrington: Kids these days… Security! Escort him off the stage, please!
Security officials escort Hugh off the stage.
Eustass Barrington: Apologies, folks. (Frantically flips through the notecards).
A teenager walks up on the stage in a hood, disguising his appearance.
Unknown Voice: Wait! I was the contestant who just missed it, I demand to be a finalist!
Eustass Barrington: Sorry, you ran out of time-
Unknown Voice: (Takes off his hood) I am Heli of House Allvarede.
Eustass Barrington: (Hesitates) You…You're highness. (Terrified) Apologies. I didn't realize that you were enrolled in this tournament.
Jelani: (Sarcastically) Great, now we have a royal hogging the spotlight!
Heli: Yes, and I am here as the fifth finalist!
The crowd cheers in an overenthusiastic way.
Heli: (Uncannily smiles and turns to Eustass Barrington) You are most fortunate the crowd is cheering so loud for me at the moment. If you hesitate in proclaiming my name again, I shall have your lowly head resting on one of my many trophy shelves in my living room.
Eustass Barrington: (Bites his tongue and clenches his fist and then gathers himself). Alright, welcome Heli of House Allvarede! Let's see, where were we? Ah yes! The twenties pool finalists are as follows: Dante Valorante, the Bridwell siblings Jimmy and Jamie, Trent Kaun, and Ellie Bachar.
He then moves on to the thirties and up finalists. Afterwards, the teen finalists make their way to Climber's Tears.
Silva: Holy crap, this waterfall is huge!
Heli: Come now. My pet dog's fountain is larger than this.
Caroline nudges and pulls Silva away before he can speak.
Silva: Why are you nudging me, lady?
Caroline: That's a weird way of saying thank you. This "lady" just saved your ass.
Silva: I don't get it…
Caroline: Are you dense?!
Silva: What's your problem?
Caroline: Don't you get it? You were about to speak against a member of House Allvarede.
Silva: Who the hell cares who he is?
Jelani: (Whispers to Isra) I agree with Silva, who does this loser think he is? What an egomaniac. Am I right Roco?
Isra: (Mutters to himself) Sounds like someone I know…
Jelani: What was that?
Isra: What I said was: be cool, man. He wants us to retaliate. Just ignore him.
Jelani: Fine but I ain't letting him win. I don't give a shit who he is.
Silva: Jelani's right.
Caroline: You know what? You two morons go get yourselves in hot water with a royal, meanwhile I am going to save my skin and be okay with second place with my head still intact.
Isra: Silva, be careful. I agree with Caroline on this.
Silva: You are free to do whatever ya want. I'm not letting some snoot beat me!
Jelani offers his hand to Silva.
Jelani: We have a common enemy, Silva. Let's take this clown out together.
Silva: (Caught off guard) Uhhh sure.
Silva shakes Jelani's hand.
Heli: What are you conspiring over there?!
Caroline: Nothing, we are just arguing with each other.
Heli: Hmmm. Well, a little banter between the competition will only help me in the long run continue. Proceed with your banter.
Isra and Caroline: (Sigh simultaneously) We are so dead…
Tournament Official #1: Competitors line up!
The five of them line up.
Tournament Official #2: You each have as much time as possible for this challenge. There are climbable rocks located inside of the waterfall in the soft rock section but the harsh nature of the stream and the overhang are the real challenge of this course. First three to the top will be awarded medals.
Tournament Official #1: Competitors ready?
The finalists nod their heads.
Tournament Official #1: Three… Two… One… Climb!
The finalists run through the falls and begin climbing the enormous waterfall. Everyone starts off strong.
Silva: This ain't that bad!
Jelani: Just wait, Silva. Roco and I have climbed a waterfall similar to this one before. He was so confident at first. But after about ten minutes, he fell on his ass. I ended up having to wait for him to climb it for an hour after I reached the top.
Isra: (Sighs).
Heli slightly gets the lead ahead of everyone.
Heli: (Chuckles) You scrubs are off to a rough start it seems!
Jelani: Yo Silva!
Silva: What's up?
Jelani: Shift to the right a little, I got an idea.
Silva: Sure thing!
Jelani accelerates his pace and cuts off Heli.
Heli: Get out of my way this instance!
Jelani grips a climbable rock with his right hand. The left one forms into a fist and he aggressively slams it into part of the wall in Heli's path. A crack quickly forms. Before long, Heli knocked off balance due to a strong stream of water leaking from the crack. He falls down.
Jelani: That takes care of one issue.
Heli: Ughhhh. I call foul play! (Turns to the tournament official) Officiator, eject him from the competition immediately!
Tournament Official #2: (Blows his whistle). Foul Play! Red card on competitor #12! You're out!
Jelani: Bullshit! I haven't even received a yellow card, you can't eject me!
Tournament Official #1: We can't bend the rules with all of the cameras on us.
Tournament Official #2: What are we supposed to do about a royal's request? We'll die if we don't give in to his demands!
Tournament Official #1: Calm down, I got an idea.
Tournament Official #1 approaches Heli, who is injured.
Tournament Official #2: I got a compromise, if I heal you with my inherited item and my buddy gives you a boost, won't that more than make up for not giving him a red card?
Heli: Mmmm. I suppose. Very well, but do it at once! They are closing in on the overhang section!
Tournament Officials #1 and #2: Right.
The officials block the camera. One of them tends to Heli's injuries. Afterwards, the other official uses his spring inherited item powers to launch Heli into the air. Heli grabs on to the overhang and takes the lead.
Silva: This shit is rigged!
Jelani: I can't believe the official tried to give the Golden Prodigy a penalty.
Isra: (Rolls his eyes).
The finalists reach the home stretch. Silva loses his balance and falls past Jelani.
Jelani: Sorry, bud you're on your own now.
Silva: (Falls down to the padded mats). Damnit Jelani!
Heli reaches the top and the crowd cheers.
Caroline: Looks like your plan failed "Golden Prodigy".
Before Jelani can speak, she kicks him down while the officials are still distracted by Heli and the cameras are down. Caroline takes second place and Isra follows soon after in third place. Caroline takes second place and Isra follows soon after in third place.
Tournament Official #1: (Blows his whistle). The competition has ended! The top three finalists of the teens bracket are: Heli Allvarede, Caroline Field, and Roco Isra!
Jelani: Roco got the top three but I got stuck on the bottom. What a shitty day!
Silva approaches him.
Silva: Now that we're both eliminated, I have one question for ya. How'd you anticipate Heli's movements?
Jelani: Oh, it's my power you dope!
Silva: Damn, they should call ya "The Golden Cheater" then.
Jelani: (Walks away) That wasn't even clever.
Silva: (Shrugs) I thought it was.
The rest of the age group brackets conclude their final rounds.